Holiday Time Eating

By Sue Forberg

Tis the season to eat lots of unhealthy food and sit on our butts ... fa la la la la, la la la la! Family dinners, Christmas parties, friendly get-togethers… basically you are surrounded by food, and not much fitness, unless you count the reps of your fork to your mouth.

So how can we turn this holiday season around? How can we make the best time of the year even better? We make a plan! We create healthy options and active outings. Now, don’t get yourself in a tizzy. I’m not saying not to eat those delectable, buttery Toblerone shortbread cookies… but MODERATION is key.

Here are a few idea’s on how to make this holiday season fun and active, and keep your same pant size. First line of attack... Food! After all, you are what you eat. Fuel the engine with garbage and your engine won't run so well. Fuel it with top of the line premium stuff and it will perform.

Holiday Healthy Eating:

• Before heading to a party, feed you and your children a light healthy meal or snack. This will prevent going to the party starving and pillaging their buffet table.

• Steer clear of pop and opt for flavoured water. Get your children participating in this one. Cut up your favourite fruit and make flavoured ice cubes to decorate their drinks this holiday. If you are going for juices, go 100% natural. If you want to kick it up a notch, just add sparkling water to juice. There are lots of hidden sugars and calories in drinks.

• Bring healthy low fat dishes to the parties. At least you know you can eat what you made, without guilt.

• Vegetable trays... the more the better. Stock your fridge. Pairing them up with a light dip, tzatziki, hummus, make this a much healthier snack for you and the kids during this holiday time.

• Lastly, you can’t eat what you don’t have. Don’t buy processed foods this holiday season. Get back to the basics and cook with your kids. There will be plenty of tempting foods as you make your holiday rounds so keep your home tempt free and offer everyone healthy choices. If you are all on the same page, that’s half the battle.

Now that we know what to eat and how much to eat, how do we burn it off? Below are a few ideas on staying active this holiday season.

Keep Moving:

• Just because school is out doesn't mean it’s time for a 24 hour marathon of PlayStation. Get out there as a family and go for a nature hike. Don’t have trails? Go outside for a walk and count the houses with lights. Give your children each a side and see which side has the most.

• Shovel! We live in Canada; it’s inevitable. Getting your kids outside and helping you out cut’s the work in half, or in my case double the work as the mountains of snow became new toboggan hills. But you know what? I am ok with that -- hearing them laugh, and seeing those red rosy cheeks makes it all worth it.

• Sprint in the snow. This I guarantee will have the whole family laughing. Grab a stopwatch or use your phone, and try to find the deepest snow you can. Clock their sprints (or face plants).

Fun for the whole family:

• Indoor/outdoor skating. Contact your local town recreation centre to see what the holiday hours are. Skating down a meandering trail with your kids as teens fly by you and you almost fall ... so much fun!

• If we are lucky and it snows, making snowmen and a snow fort are great ways to burn a few hours and some extra pent up energy.

It’s the holiday season; but it doesn't have to mean that your healthy lifestyle gets a holiday too. Making a few smart choices i.e.; carrots instead of cheesecake will help make this holiday season a less stressful and regretful one.

Happy Eating - Happy Moving! From all of us at H2T, we wish you all a very Happy and Safe Holiday Season. Stay Fit… Stay Healthy…

About the Author: Sue Forberg is the Director at H2T Elite Dryland Training Inc. H2T is a multi-faceted state of the art dryland facility specializing in children the ages 5-16. A gym for kids you say... absolutely. Their primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for young people through exercise and proper nutrition. H2T has created a fun age appropriate dryland program that gives every child what he/she needs from a developmental standpoint. Find out more at www.H2Tdryland.com.